Blake Wheeler, Jets Agree to 5-Year, $41.25 Million Contract Extension

The Winnipeg Jets announced Tuesday that they signed winger Blake Wheeler to a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension.

Wheeler has spent the past eight seasons with the franchise after beginning his NHL career as a member of the Boston Bruins.    

The 32-year-old veteran is coming off his best season, as he scored 23 goals while adding a league-leading 68 assists for a career-high 91 points.

Wheeler was also a driving force in Winnipeg's run to the Western Conference Final with 21 points in 17 playoff games.

The Plymouth, Minnesota, native has topped the 70-point plateau in three consecutive seasons, and he has 23 or more goals in five straight campaigns.

Selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2004 draft by the then-Phoenix Coyotes, Wheeler declined to sign his rookie contract before joining the Bruins as a free agent in July 2008.

Wheeler spent parts of three up-and-down seasons with Boston before the team dealt him to the Atlanta Thrashers in 2011 along with defenseman Mark Stuart in exchange for forward Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik.

That trade paid big dividends for the Thrashers/Jets franchise, as Wheeler has developed into one of the NHL's top right wingers.

Wheeler was named an All-Star for the first time last season, and he has 605 points (fourth among right wings since his rookie season in 2008-09) in 778 career regular-season games.

He is as reliable as they come with just six missed games over the past seven seasons.

By signing Wheeler to an extension, the Jets ensured that he will not hit free agency next offseason and locked him up through the 2023-24 campaign.